Nathaniel's POV
I was in my car and the rain beat against the windshield like the ticking of time slipping through my fingers.
Where are you, Camila?
It had been days since she left. I had torn the entire pack territory apart, checked every rogue alley, every inn, every damn forest she could've hidden in. Nothing. Not even a trace. It was as if she had vanished into thin air.
But I refused to give up.
I gripped the steering wheel tighter, knuckles white as I turned into the edge of a small town just beyond our borders. It was a lead—a fragile whisper from one of the scouts who thought they'd seen a girl matching Camila's description at an old bookstore two towns over.
A long shot.
But hope was all I had.
I parked and stepped into the rain, letting the cold wash over me. My boots splashed through puddles as I scanned every corner, my heartbeat thudding louder with each step.
And then—I saw her.
